These Crazy Things Happen
by hauntingwolf
Summary: She never imagined that she'd end up here,in this lonely place,with these crazy people, she never imagined she'd be in a nightmare,considered as one of them, and she never imagined she'd drag her sister down with her either,what to do? Bane/oc
1. Welcome to Arkham Asylum

**AN: Hey this is HauntingWolf. I've been a part of Fanfic for a couple of years now and have finally decided to take a crack at writing Please review and tell me what you think**

**Disclaimer: I do not own batman or any of its characters**

Chapter1: Welcome to Arkham Asylum

The clouds that day were overbearing. Gloomy. Depressing. Not a shred of light peaked through the clouds in Gotham….Not too out of the ordinary, it was _Gotham_ after all. It was cold and the heater of the armored vehicle wasn't working…..or the sick bastards just didn't turn it on. Who'd care for a pair of _criminals_ after all? The shackles on her wrists, ankles, and even her neck, weren't assisting when it came to keeping her warm, but that was a bit obvious, she mused. They seemed to suck the heat from her marrow, and they were far from comfortable, chaffing her pale vulnerable skin. If she was herself before the incident she would have cringed, but at the moment she felt...well not that it mattered how she felt but to be frank she was too _tired_ to feel at the moment.

It was quiet, and apart from the guttural rumbling of the engine, the vehicle was silent. She looked around, eyes flicking about here and there, taking care not to move her cold eyelids too much for fear her actual _eyeball _would grow cold. She saw the guard decked in navy blue in her peripheral at the end of her bench, face mask in place, gun at the ready, still as stone. Rigid. He almost seemed unnerved. _Good _his mere presence made her skin burn, made her want to gag…if she had been alone in here with him she would have been seething…or hyperventilating._ Calm down, calm down…..don't think about it…._

She traced her blue eyes across the walls to rest on her younger sister Rachel. A feeble girl, lucky to be 100 pounds and maxed at 5 feet 2 inches. She was a gaunt thing, no matter how much she ate, she just didn't seem to gain wait; which isn't really a good thing, especially in Gotham, for even though eccentricities reined supreme, it was fundamental you could at least have _some_ physical attribute to offer. She always seems frail, breakable, and still, she seemed to continue withering away, smaller and skinnier, everything she wore was baggy…. this told her sister her_ tendencies_ were back…..something she _despised_ about her sister. Her thin dirty blonde hair clung to her head, matted, lanky, and her pale, angled face was void, hollow; most likely lost in her own thoughts.

Rachel's blue eyes roved over to her sisters (probably the result of feeling a second pair of eyes trained on her and she swore silently that if the guard didn't take his eyes off of her sister, he wouldn't have them anymore) and locked them. Rachel gave a small smile off, and her sister gave her a reluctant half-hearted smile in return, still partly thinking about that little _detail_ she found sickening, but also partly convinced all would be well eventually. A fine brow arched on the small dirty blonde's face.

"What?"

Rachel's voice was soft. Quiet. A bit high too but not to an aggravating octave. It wasn't unexpected; quiet looking girl, a quiet sounding voice.

"Are you okay?"

Her voice came out low and vibrating, a simple drawl, and anyone could have called it monotone, yet Rachel knew she was tired; her usual gleaming blue eyes were dull, half-lidded.

"Pardon?"

The whole time the guard had been watching them, flipping his head back and forth like an idiot, growing tense for god knows what reason. This didn't go unnoticed by the long haired brunet sitting across from Rachel, he never left her attention; she couldn't afford being startled by him if she forgot about him.

"Quiet!"

Rachel flinched, naïve to being treated so harshly by a stranger, mostly because she was the youngest and was sheltered by her father a bit more than her older sister…well, at least what he _knew _ about was what she was protected from.

"You don't need to-"

"Rachel… don't bother…" the brunet droned, glaring at the guard in a loathing manner. _Disgusting. Abominable. _Theguard released a snort of disgust and silence dominated the armored vehicle once again.

Half an hour passed and the vehicle came to a stop. Clanging echoed inside the vehicle as the locks were taken off the doors outside. The doors swung open and a gloomy yet natural light filled the interior of the truck. She tensed when they began unhooking their chains from the walls of the truck, every ounce of the brunet's being holding her back from going bat shit crazy when they went for the metal collar;_ they were so damn close_. The dirty blonde seemed perfectly fine with the proximity, lucky little cow got a _female_ guard to release her ankles and wrists _completely_. _Yes, leave me in my shackles…because I stood a chance of killing you fuckers without them…_ Both sisters were lead out of the back of the truck, a good 20 guards waiting outside, fully armed.

Honestly, Rachel couldn't fathom why they'd need so many guards on a 24 year old and a 21 year old; it just didn't make sense in her frazzled mind. Until of course one of the guards radios went off saying a patient that was category 9 was being brought in by Batman. She merely blinked wondering who it could be, though didn't fret too much; such things were pointless to wonder. She shrugged.

"Oh… that makes sense I guess…."

The brunet simply nodded, not caring to wonder what Rachel meant. Glancing around the empty, dead courtyard the brunet took everything in as little as it was….a broken see saw with a hat on the end caught her eye; honestly the idea of playing on one, even if she were a kid didn't seem to appealing, she mused. A slight tug on the chains indicated to start walking, only four guards marched the two girls down the cold, gray cobblestone pathway. At the door was standing a pudgy, balding man with thick rimmed glasses in a gray suit; if it weren't for his arrogant stance with his hands folded behind his back, she'd say he could blend into the background. He slowly looked over the sisters with a disapproving look that only grew worse as time drew on and then clucked his tongue in distaste. The brunet frowned and raised a brow.

"Good day ladies," he said in a voice with an air of arrogance and self-importance, really she saw it coming, "I am Warden Sharp." The brunet grimaced, how she hated arrogance….the man was nothing in her eyes….a sack of organs that was no different than anyone else….she was positive he abused the power he had here…

"Don't care."

The old man blanched at the audacity she had, and at the corner of her eye she saw a guard with a hook for a hand start to silently chuckle; his chest rapidly rising and falling. She threw a rebellious smirk (though it never reached her eyes) and he looked back at her with a malicious glint in his eyes.

"Riley and Rachel Ashford…Welcome to Arkham Asylum."


	2. Settling In

**Thank you very much for the encouragement and criticism, I'll try updating as soon as possible, but I do enjoy quality before quantity. Please review; let me know what you think **

**~ I do not own batman or any of its characters**

The inside of the building hadn't been any better than the outside, old and worn, the feeling that the building would collapse any minute didn't go unwarranted. The lighting was poor and dim, not even a bit reflecting off the ancient scratched and scuffed linoleum floor. The front desk was in disarray and unorganized, papers scattered about randomly, some had what she assumed to be coffee stains on them and others she couldn't identify _what_ they were discolored with; a grimacing cite indeed.

She wondered if the deeper parts of the asylum were as bad, if such were the case, then it was no wonder the super criminals of Gotham were walking out of here all the time laughing as if they were jolly-assed Santa Claus on Christmas Eve (_those_ would be some fun presents delivered, no?). She wondered if the asylum staff even kept records of who was in and who was out anymore; bringing up the amusing thought of the villains being given punch cards for when they clock in and out. _Oh yes, hilarious. _

Another daunting similarity between inside and outside that she was forced to acknowledge was the _cold_. It seemed her crude nemesis followed her into the building. She'd just have to convince herself that it would get warmer as they went deeper into the building. Or at least hope it would. She didn't know what she'd do if it didn't warm up…really there wouldn't be any way to solve that dilemma, because if she threw a temper tantrum they'd tranquilize her ass and throw her in solitary no doubt. Quite frankly she didn't feel like acting the part of a drooling baboon.

Another sharp tug on the chains told her to keep walking (she'd stopped to contemplate things…or zone out, whatever she just did). Up ahead in the hallway was a room on the right where a bright fluorescent light was shining into the dimmer hallway, which is where they led Rachel and her. It was basically a doctor's office…medical ward, whatever you wanted to call it. Rachel went first; her diagnosis was that of a couple of bruises; granted they were very harsh looking on her pale skin but merely bruises nonetheless. Afterward a nurse carted her off through a door in the corner of the room. The doctor then turned his attention on Riley, she watched him warily, tensed.

"Do you have to touch me?" she asked her eyes trained on him, watching every action and reaction he made. He seemed surprised she had spoken so suddenly, probably due to the fact Riley hadn't said a word the whole time they were in here, meanwhile, Rachel had been a complete chatter box; talking with everyone about most things, in fact the elderly man before her seemed to be just fine in the change of personality in a patient. A conversation that seemed rational to have; it had been small talk… It was an actual _conversation_ that made Rachel's examination pleasant.

"I'm afraid so miss."_ Ah it can't be helped I suppose._ She nodded, she was reluctant, but she understood. The man has a job, he has his protocols, and even if she objected, he'd have to do it anyway, and she'd much rather be awake and watching him than tranquilized or tasered unconscious.

"Please keep it to the absolute minimum." he gave a simple nod, requested her shackles be taken off to perform the examination, and it was done. He lifted his hand to her throat to check for lumps, making sure she was healthy as if it were a standard doctor's appointment before doing the actual damage examination. His hands were rough and cold; all doctors' hands were, though they were gentle… she wondered why that was so when he worked in the loony bin dealing with criminals all day… my god _she_ was a criminal. Perhaps he didn't see her as one…..or he was a compassionate idiot.

As he began the damage assessment, Rachel walked out of the room she had been led in to, hair wet, and wearing new attire. She wore a pair of orange red pants and a matching long sleeved shirt, and at the bottom she saw a line of white so Riley knew Rachel must have been wearing an undershirt. Honestly in her opinion Rachel looked to be wearing pajamas, and if that's all they ever wore here, then a lazy part of Riley wished she had come here sooner. What brought her out of scrutinizing her sister was the sharp ache that panged in her torso as the doctor roved and prodded his hand into her ribs. She tensed and had a sharp intake of breath, glaring at the doctor.

"Sorry. You may have cracked one, the best I can do for now is give you some ibuprofen. Anything else you really have is some bad bruises and some scrapes, but nothing too serious. You should be fine." As the doctor walked over to a locked cabinet fiddling through his key ring, Riley couldn't help but think snidely that _she _didn't do _shit_ to her ribs. When he returned with the pill and a paper cup he placed them both in her hands and she downed them both. She grimaced as she felt her lungs push against her ribs as they contorted to allow the pill and water to slide down her esophagus. Why she didn't feel this pain when breathing earlier she'll never know- probably zoned out in shock that not only _she'd _been claimed guilty but her _sister_ had been too.

"Ah. Thank you, Dr.…" he looked a little shell shocked that she'd be so polite.

"Grant"

"Thank you Dr. Grant." He nodded and the same nurse who had taken Rachel through the door did the same for her, after reassuring her that Rachel would still be there when she got back. As if she was a child or animal that needed to be coaxed.

In the room there was a shower stall and Riley gladly got in and cleaned up; thankfully the water was warm. She scrubbed relentlessly at her scalp, raking over it with what little nails she had; she was a nail biter. After scrubbing her body head to toe to the point where her skin was beginning to redden she stood directly under the water and tilted her head straight up, scrubbing her face. After about three more minutes she turned the water off and got out. She turned to the nurse and the nurse held out her hands offering the clothes and a thin poor excuse for a towel. None the less she took them gratefully; happy to be able to get into dry clothes that weren't dirty like the ones she previously wore. She set the clothes on the toilet seat and dragged the towel across herself collecting the beads of water chilling her skin. Flipping her head over she took the towel to her hair and patted and rubbed violently, trying to get her hair as dry as she could, as quickly as possible.

"Is it always so cold here?" Her voice was bland, feeling slightly awkward talking with this stranger.

"No it gets warmer as you head deeper into the building."

A ghost of a smile spread across her face._ That's a relief._ She pulled the underwear on and afterwards the pants, which like most, were too long for her; she blamed her body ratio of having a longer torso and shorter legs, so she basically walked on the hem of the pants with her toes barely poking out. She took the sports bra they provided sliding it over her arms and head, having to adjust it a bit when it finally rest on her chest, and soon after slid the white wife beater tank top on over. She didn't have a long sleeved shirt….. Not that it mattered she probably would have rolled the sleeves up anyway.

Leading her out of the room, into the office and back to the guards and Rachel, the nurse left her in their company and went to manage some other task. The two girls were then lead down the hall to a set of elevators. They were ushered into the one on the right. The elevator went down two floors and the guards led them down the hall to an office. The door read _Dr. Mallard_. One of the guards knocked on the door and after a moment a mumbled "Come in" was heard through the door. The door was opened and Riley and Rachel filed into the room along with two of the guards.

"It'll be okay, you may leave," a woman who appeared to be in her mid-30's waved the guards off nonchalantly. No noise was made so Riley just assumed they nodded and walked out of the room. She really hoped for her own happiness' sake that this woman didn't just dismiss those men out of arrogance- she couldn't take another one. The woman behind the desk had red hair and green eyes, with freckles. She didn't look old, but didn't look young either….maybe 35…. She was actually on the attractive side; Riley wouldn't take that from her- the stereo typical red-head.

"My name is Dr. Mallard, and I'll be your psychiatrist." Rachel smiled happily. Really she was like a puppy, always wagging her tail when she meets someone new.

"Hi! My name is Rachel Addison Ashford, how are you today?" she gave off a large smile. _Wow _rang through Riley's mind a moment. She couldn't believe how her sister seemed perfectly content meeting a _psychiatrist_, happy even. The red head replied she was fine, with a satisfied smile, and then looked toward Riley expectantly.

"My name is Riley Michelle Ashford… it's nice to meet you." She gave an approving nod, even if the reply Riley had given was reluctant.

"Well, it appears that you girls have arrived after dinner, and it's about two hours after." Riley tilted her head.

"It's alright, Ry are you hungry?" Riley shook her head, and the blonde nodded. "Me neither, we should be fine until morning Dr. Mallard." Dr. Mallard looked reluctant, but nodded.

"Well, I guess you _could_ be just taken to your cells, but before you go, I need you to know I do my sessions differently than other doctors here at the asylum. I usually do two patients at a time, out of hope that the two will support one another and be more cooperative. You will each have a partner tomorrow." Rachel lifted a brow. Riley couldn't help but think it was an incredibly stupid idea- wouldn't they make each other worse? Though if Riley was with Rachel in sessions, she supposed she could see the benefit- she was comfortable around Rachel.

"Will we have each other?" Rachel's voice had fringes of hope laced through it.

"I'm sorry, but no." A frown etched onto Riley's face. _Who the hell am I being paired with? Oh shit….._ Rachel merely gave a slight tilt of the head.

"You already have our partners picked out?" Dr. Mallord nodded.

"Yes, they didn't have partners, they had been shuttled over from another doctor recently."_ Then WHY couldn't you pair THEM together?_ Needless to say Riley wasn't happy with Dr. Mallard at the moment; in fact it was safe to say she wasn't liking her too much. Rachel was just happy to meet someone new, in this new place to her. Riley was willing to bet that the fact they were in an _asylum_ so anyone they met would be bat shit crazy, hadn't crossed the dirty blonde's mind. _Great. _

The red head called in the guards again and they escorted the girls back to the elevator. They went down two more floors, so when the elevator stopped, they were on sublevel four. Stepping out of the elevator, cells lined the walls down the hall. They went to the end, and took a right, then took a left, and another left. They continued down the hall until they reached an empty double bunk cell with a reinforced glass door instead of bars. Riley was expecting more of a prison cell than a Hannibal cell but honestly, it didn't really matter.

As the guards opened the cell door and her sister started zoning out again, Rachel felt eyes on her. She looked around; left, right, and when she turned around she saw a brown haired man sitting on his bed in a cell across from what was soon to be theirs. He looked tall maybe six feet, and he was very skinny, a bit lean in a way though. His green eyes tracked her moves inquisitively; studying her almost. An eerie intelligence lurked in his eyes. It made her a bit fidgety. He smirked at this, and a brief chuckle rumbled in his chest.

The guards got the door open, both sisters stepped into their cell (Rachel rushing, but this went unnoticed by Riley), and the door was closed behind them. Both had a mutual agreement on who wanted which bunk, Rachel wanted the bottom, Riley got the top. They sat there for a while, contemplating everything that had happened the past week, occasionally speaking to one another, and after an hour, it was lights out. Needless to say, it was going to be really hard night to fall asleep.


	3. Two Larks

**Here's the next chapter, I hope things aren't moving too slow. Please review and tell me what you think **

**I do not own batman or any of its characters**

When Rachel woke up, the sun was barely poking its head above the horizon giving off some light through the barred cell window. It was nothing bright and exuberant; as if the light itself were lethargic. Considering the sun was above the horizon at 6:30, she guessed at the time being around 5:45. Turning over onto her back, her hands resting outstretched on either side of her head, she let out a sigh, trying to relax against the lumpy mattress as much as possible.

Riley was still sleeping above her, her breathing was deep and quiet, and she'd occasionally shift and mumble something incoherent. She didn't have to see her sister to know she was curled in a tight ball, her head squished into her pillow with her arms wrapped around it as if she were a child again; not that 24 was old (then again due to her mentality, she had always seemed older). Years of being an early riser had given her the know-how of her sister's sleeping tendencies, meanwhile Riley knew nothing of Rachel's because Riley would sleep well into the later part of the afternoon, if given the chance.

Rachel threw her arms above her head and stretched her arms curling her fingers. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of her bunk discarding the sheets from her form. Cold stung her feet when they touched the floor and the air nipped at her now bare legs. Apparently the sleep ware at Arkham for women was a pair of black spandex shorts and a tank top…_ Seems impractical for us to wear it around a bunch of unstable men….or women…_ they were tight and made her feel heavy, as if she were too big for them. She got up from the bunk and stood in the middle of the room throwing her hands up and standing on her toes, flexing and stretching her calves. She figured if she didn't focus on the clothes she wouldn't feel the urge resurface, push her, take over her.

She brought her hands back down and rubbed her face, leaning her pelvis forward and cracking her back, releasing a sigh that slipped into a yawn. She looked out the window not knowing how much time she had before the orderlies came to wake them up and take them to breakfast. She now wished she had asked last night, but at the time the thought hadn't occurred to her; she'd been so flustered about the guy across the hall.

Even after they had gotten into their cell he had stared at her for a good while and she had just tried to play it off by awkwardly fiddling with her hands. Maybe if she was lucky, he'd be sane enough to tell her when they'd come get everyone for breakfast, and if not, well then, she figured she'd just have to suck it up and wait. Then again there was the matter of him being awake; she was sure that the people in this place would take all the solace they could in what little they had; sleep. The naïve notion of waking him up as she would if he was her sister flashed in her mind before it came tumbling down in flames._ Really, what is wrong with me? No wonder I'm here, that's the dumbest thing I've ever thought of doing._

Hesitantly, she turned her head in the direction of the man, to see he was sitting on his single bunk in his cell. He was facing her, with his legs bent in front of him, back against the wall, with his forearms resting on his knees; he looked comfortable and relaxed._ Maybe I'm lucky and got a morning person…._ He smirked when she lifted her small hand and timidly waved at him.

"Are you always up so early?" his voice was a bit condescending, as if he were asking a five year old. She didn't like it; she never enjoyed being treated as if she were so incompetent, a major reason she was now a people pleaser… Riley didn't like that very much and made it known often enough. He gave a tilt of his head, waiting for her response, and she hurried to answer, though she was a bit unsure of what to say.

"I'm afraid so… I can't help it." He stared intently at her, she felt as if he were sizing her up.

"Come now, my dear, the early bird gets the worm does it not?" She stood for a while, contemplating a suitable answer; she preferred to answer questions in her honest opinion no matter how simple the question (like this one). His green eyes bore into hers, intense, calculating as if he was ready to pass some type of judgment. She had to look away, diverting her eyes to the lower right.

"I suppose so, but what can a caged bird do?" He raised his brows as if not expecting for her answer to be a question.

"You could sing."

_Sing?_

"I don't sing."

"Pity."

"Do you?"

"No."

"I suppose we're out of luck then…"

His eyes lit up as if he approved of something. He uncrossed his hands and lifted himself from the bunk, walking toward the glass and sat. He gestured her to do the same. She slowly complied and she sat with one leg tucked under her, the other pressed against her chest with her arms wrapped around it.

"When do they come get us?"

"At seven. The doors open and everyone floods to the cafeteria; there's one for each floor."

"The guards don't take us?" He gave a peculiar look with his eyes squinted. He tilted his head, the corners of his mouth drawing back in contemplation._ Did I say something wrong?_

"No… they stand along the walls on the way to the cafeteria and make sure there aren't any….._complications_ that arise….why would they?"

"Well maybe it would be a bit easier to keep track of everybody if they took the extra time and did things thoroughly…that doesn't sound _too _stupid does it?" He chuckled staring at her with an amused gleam dancing in his eyes.

"Well there is a crucial flaw in your transcendentalist theory…"

"What?"

"Do you really think _any_ of these dribbling monkey's get paid enough to deal with us on a _normal_ basis?"

"I don't know, how much do they get paid?" She could see his amusement growing.

"I assure you my dear, not enough…"

"You could have just said it sounded stupid…" she sighed feeling a bit exasperated, he took the roundabout way of saying **yes that was stupid**. _Great now I feel like an idiot._

He continued to glance at her through his green eyes, raking over her form taking her in more detail. Something in semblance with pity shifted over his face, his eyes dimming a bit.

"You really _are_ that naïve aren't you?"

"…I guess…I don't really think so…"

"Most never do…" He tutted. A strange silence fell between them. She took the opportunity to study him better; with more detail. She was right when she said he was skinny before, he didn't necessarily look like a wimp, it was more like he was lean; he had muscle but wasn't built. He had a square chin and a strong jaw line and fair skin. He also gave off a sort of scruffy look, like he hadn't slept in a while. Honestly, in her opinion, he didn't look too bad; he wasn't too scruffy to the point where he looked…..well, _bad_.

"What's your name?"

"Rachel Ashford… Yours?" He gave a smirk as if he were hoping she'd ask. No… he wasn't hoping he _knew_ she'd ask but then again it wouldn't be too surprising if she did; it was common courtesy. He gave a smug reply.

"Edward Nygma."


	4. Mornings suck

**Okay, hopefully I can start picking things up and keep them going.^_^' I hope nobody's ooc, in this or the last chapter, and I hope this chapter's better than the last. Please review and let me know what you think, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays!:)**

**~I don't own batman!**

The dark. It was comforting, alluring, numbing, and blissful. The way it encompassed and embraced her, gently pulling her into unconsciousness was _intoxicating_. A sweet wine you could sip all night and never grow wary. Never grow bored of its refined tasted; only crave _more_. Better, she need not suffer from her constant pondering. She was safe from her own mind, the darkness shrouding her from herself. She needn't think nor feel the pessimistic concepts that usually plagued her. Yes, the darkness was _suitable._ A well respected acquaintance, perhaps something akin to family or friend, and hell if she wanted, she'd call it a lover; one that didn't nag her or hold her back, stealing what was most precious to her. It consoled her like the thundering rainstorms once did back home.

_Home_. It hadn't been terrible while it lasted. In fact; those were the _best damn_ years of her life. But then she turned 14 and something changed….what was it? _Mommy…..mommy left…where did mommy go? _She honestly can't recall at the moment… she was there….and then she was just…._gone_. And she remembered that a piece, _something_ inside her broke off and disappeared around the same time her mother did. And like her mother that piece never came back, it didn't regrow; and that left a void somewhere in her. If it had been a stab wound or a gunshot, she'd understand the pain; but for it to be _nothing_, it sure hurt like hell.

Life seemed to _drag_ on for a couple of months; days faded gray and walked in and out the door and black nights seemed to be the only solace she had; her life wasn't really a _life_ anymore. And in the silence of those nights she'd curl into herself praying to whoever would not only hear her, but _listen_._ Where did you go mommy? Just please come home… I love you._ She distinctly remembered some nights sitting in her closet (where no one would hear her) and she'd bawl her eyes out and would sooner or later crawl into bed and fall into an exhausted sleep. Then some nights she'd be lucky enough for it to thunderstorm. She'd hear the rain hit the roof in soothing _pits_ and _pats_, she'd see the flashes of light that danced and traced the sky like veins, and she'd feel the thunder in the air that surrounded her like the darkness did now. _True, _althoughthunderstorms aren't as consistent in presence as the darkness is, every time it_ did_ show up it was _always_ dependable, always comforting her young, miserable, incomplete heart. And for that the thunderstorms are just as much of a welcome friend as the darkness is.

The months then turned into a full year; the fabric of her life was slowly pulling itself back into a sketchy little quilt, and though some vital pieces had still been missing, she managed to deal with it. Until that _bitch_ walked into her life… her and that….._fucking thing_ she called a son. She had taken her red ugly fake ass nails to some of the strings in her shaky quilt and started _pulling_; destroying her life and forcing her own routine, rules, and life on her; trying to _control_ her. She didn't need to be controlled; she had been a good girl from the _start_. She never screamed or threw a fit in public, she never talked back to her mother and father, she was polite to adults and never talked to strangers unless mommy or daddy had introduced her and as long as she received love and had been left to her own devices, then she had been a moderately happy little girl. She even had a little sister to play with when her mother and father had been working.

_Riley._

So in her honest opinion she feels she didn't need-

_Riley…_

-to change. The audacity of that woman to think that she could just waltz into her life and-

_Riley!_

-_try_ to take control over her was enraging to this very day! Her darkness was dissipating and she already longed for it back. It was like being pulled out of water, traces of the blackness lingered and she wanted to sink back to the bottom of the murky abyss.

"Hey Riley wake up!"

All she gave in response was a grunt.

"She's not a morning person I presume?"

"Not really, usually if you give her about 10 minutes she'll start talking to you."

"Ah. One of _those_."

"Well….more like talking to _me._ She was never really social in the aspect of _meeting _people, but once you're in her circle, you're pretty much stuck there for life."

"Something tells me that was the light way of putting it….."

"…..yeah. Get up Ry."

"I'm awake." Her voice came out guttural.

"But you're not _up._"

She cracked an irritable blue eye open and stared her sister dead in the face. Figures she'd already make a friend and it was their first day….and it wasn't even noon…_ Wait what's he doing in our cell?_ She sat up, a bit more alert now, and swung her legs over the edge of the upper bunk, placing her elbows on her thighs and her face in her hands. She looked up through the cracks in her fingers and stared at her sister who started smiling amusedly. She figured she looked like a complete grouch, what with the attempt at a stare down with her hair hanging around her head in a dark shroud.

"Come on, you have to go get changed for breakfast."

She felt like she was in high school again; having to drag her ass out of bed at 5:30. She despised it so much back then that she planned which 10 days of school she'd just skip and play sick, just so she could sleep in…then again that was probably her own fault because she was never good with bed times. If her father would have let her she probably would have opted to take some form of night school. She grudgingly slid of the top bunk, cold shooting up her leg making her go rigid as if she had rigor mortus or something.

She made her way down the hall to the bathrooms after her sister handed her the clothes she had been given yesterday that she had stored under her bunk. She came back out remembering the guy she saw earlier and turned to study him. The first things that stood out to her was that he was skinny and tall; in fact he towered over Rachel's 5foot 2 inches and hell he towered over her meager 5foot 4 inches. He had green eyes that were intriguing. The outer iris was dark green then moving into the middle it became light green then turned a darker green. They were bright. She always found green to be the easiest to read. Brown was too dark for her to see, hazel there was too much to focus on, and blue…well blue could turn to icy and despondent pretty fast in her opinion. He extended his hand.

"Edward Nygma," he threw in a smile. She wasn't going to buy it. He was in here for a reason just like she was. She glanced down at his hand and stared, her face set as if it were stone. She glanced back up at his face and saw he was expectant maybe a little intrigued. Part of her was rebelling telling her not to comply with his demands while a younger more naïve part of her from what seemed so long ago was urging her to be polite and non-offensive. She felt a nudge on her elbow and she looked to Rachel who had a suggestive and encouraging face on display. She glanced at his hand.

"Come on Ry, how bad could a handshake and a formal name be?" Riley cast Rachel a look that said 'Do you really want me to answer that?' Nonetheless, Riley conceded and placed her hand in his, giving it a firm shake.

"Riley Ashford."

"Come on let's go to breakfast!" Rachel hopped around and started walking down the hall. Eddie walked up and fell into step with her, taking painstakingly short steps so he wouldn't out walk her. Riley thought of hanging back and walking behind them but decided that because she didn't eat dinner last night she was really hungry, so she fell into step as well just to get to the cafeteria faster. She was still unsure of how the whole business worked, like where all of the level 9 patients were and such or how they ate. She only hoped she didn't get any of them on her floor.

"So Eddie, who do you sit with at breakfast?" Riley snorted considering she just started wondering the same thing. He hummed a minute, probably contemplating what he wanted to say.

"Normally just with a group of…_friends_. Nothing too big, sometimes we sit together sometimes we don't, it all depends really."

"Depends on what?"

"Who's here."

Rachel figured some of his friends skipped breakfast and in her opinion that honestly made sense. Sometimes she skipped breakfast just because she'd have a small snack around 11 then she'd eat lunch; and Riley straight up slept through breakfast on a normal basis so her lunch was her breakfast. But then Riley ate lunch _food_ for breakfast; so Rachel doesn't really know what Riley would like and she wasn't so sure if Riley knew either. Then dwelling more on it, it probably doesn't matter to Riley because as long as her food wasn't spicy or is _staring_ up at her, she'd be fine with just about anything as long as Rachel ate it.

As they grew closer to the cafeteria, guards eyeing them cautiously the whole way, the noise level grew louder. They walked through the open double doors and the two were overwhelmed by how many people were on their floor. People stared as they walked to the line; Rachel felt uneasy, Riley was on edge ready to snap. Riley glanced around the room already looking for a lone table they could sit at. She saw one against the wall by a window and she decided that was the one she wanted. After several minutes of being in line and grabbing her food she felt the stares lessen and felt frustration towards the two tables who kept it up.

On the way to her table she had to walk by one of them, it was full of a bunch of burly men chuckling and muttering. The whole time she was passing them she felt the tension in her back and felt the muscles around her spine spasm, maybe it was called a shiver, hell she didn't know. The second table was over in the corner with an assortment of characters sitting there…there was really no other way to describe it. As soon as she sat down with her back against the wall on the left side of the window she watched intently for Rachel. She was waiting for Edward. As the two began to make their way over the table of men began to stir like a little hive of bees. Riley watched Rachel like a hawk as she passed their table, growing more and more edgy with every step she took. Edward glanced at the table out of the corner of his eye, his look calculative; knowing. He glanced down at the oblivious petite dirty blonde walking beside him…surely she must be somewhat aware of what was going on around her?

As Rachel sat down at the table with her back to the group of men with Edward beside her, Riley felt herself relax. She could touch her food now. She glanced down at her food, trying to decide on the method of how she was going to pick it apart and eat it. Again she was being reminded of high school… Rachel felt a bit bad and worried for the brunet… it was only breakfast and her sister already almost had a panic attack over her… oh yes asylum life would take some getting used to…..for both of them.


	5. Breakfast

**Hey, here's the next update, sorry it took a while…..eh. Please don't track me down and beat me up^ -^'. It's been more of a matter of figuring out where I'm going to put something, mixing events in the story and seeing where it would fit best…Well on to the chapter! Please don't forget to review and let me know what you think.**

**Ok honestly for a while I lost interest in the story. Im back on it now, after some slight editing through the whole thing and will try to update regularly. I'm also going to just start fanfics in different categories ( I'm really into transformers right now) so I'll probably be jumping back and forth between them. I'll be working on the next chapter and it should be out in 2-3 days tops. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own batman.**

It was only half way through the thirty minute breakfast period and Riley had finished her breakfast not uttering a word while Rachel and Edward held a conversation that had periods of silence drifting in and out. Rachel sat with her elbow on the table shifting her food around with a spork, taking her time with her food, and Edward sat zoning out, his eyes squinting and his brows furrowing. Riley raised both of her elbows and rested them on the table while gingerly lacing them and resting her hands on her chin just below her mouth. Her shoulders were slouched and her ankles were crossed with her knees spread apart; her toes just skimmed the floor.

With half lidded eyes she scanned the room again wondering if anything in here had changed. Nope. The table of men continued to glance in their direction muttering amongst themselves… at least three of them were. Four men sat at the table all full of muscle and it seemed as if they put it to good use often enough. Three occupied one side of the table while the other sat alone on the opposite side. And he needed the room. He was a monster of a man, if she had thought Edward dwarfed her before she'd feel like an ant next to this guy. She didn't know how he fit at the table without breaking it. She concluded easily enough she didn't want to be caught with _any_ of them alone, but especially him…she didn't know him, but she didn't really _want _to either. But if she was going to survive she'd need to at least know about the people around. So it couldn't hurt to at least here a background story on a couple of people. Luckily for her she had Edward sitting at her table. She knows he's been her a while, and he's clearly intelligent; she decided that even though he was her _only_ source at the moment, he was at least a_ good _source of information for her.

"So Edward…" He snapped out of his thoughts and his eyes flicked over to her.

"You know you could call him Eddie."

"_Edward._" She gave a pointed look towards Rachel.

"Hm?"

"Would you mind explaining that table over there?" She lifted her right pointer finger and pointed at the table of men and then set it back down with the rest of her fingers. He raised his one of his brows, not even looking back; honestly he knew who she was talking about and really there was no need to encourage them in their stupidity by letting them know that there was a chance the three could be talking about them by seeing Edward turn around.

"Why? You know why they are staring. You know that when they looked at the two of you they probably saw the image of two young weak, naïve little girls…So why ask?" He tilted his head with his eyes narrowed and gave her a smirk. She narrowed her eyes and bowed her head a little, unappreciative of his toying. Rachel popped a little more food into her mouth still taking her time while glancing back and forth between Eddie and her sister as if history was being made right in front of her.

"Edward, if you knew I knew all of those things then you would have easily answered what I had actually meant. Now, you're not stupid, so obviously you know what I meant." He shrugged and cast his eyes back down to his food.

"What's there to explain? They're here. A murderer, a rapist and a thief hanging out at the same table; not uncommon."

"There's nothing wrong with them psychologically?" She raised a brow.

"They're from Black Gate." Rachel's head snapped up in shock and confusion.

"Why?" He glanced at her and smiled coyly.

"I am always hungry, I must always be fed, the finger I touch, will soon turn red." Rachel smiled back. Riley cocked her head. _What the hell?_

"A fire?" He smiled broadly.

"Burned the place to the ground just about a week ago." Riley's face scrunched up.

"What about the big guy?" he and Rachel glanced back. Rachel's jaw dropped. The three men at the table stirred again. The big guy looked up towards the three at his table scoffing then glanced at the trio across the cafeteria. Rachel and Edward turned back around.

"My god that man is huge!" Edward glanced at her and muttered sheepishly.

"Honestly I didn't notice him sitting with them when we were walking by… so you're interested in _him_ ey?"

"Eddie! How could you not notice _him_?" He chuckled and glanced back at Riley.

"Who is he?"

"That's Bane… I don't know much about him, I've never personally taken any interest in him… he tends to keep to himself…" Rachel glanced around at the table and back at Eddie.

"Doesn't look like it…"

"He's a big guy. This is a crazy place. Quite frankly being here is any Black Gate prisoner's living nightmare." Rachel looked at him with her brows furrowed.

"So what, they kiss up to him in an attempt to get on his good side and gain his protection?" Eddie smirked.

"Precisely, my dear." Riley threw him a look that went unnoticed by the two at her table and went back to her staring contest with the man across the room.

His eyes were dark brown and like all brown eyes, she couldn't read them very well; but what she did catch was the intensity. It weighed on her like gravity and it was difficult to keep the eye contact. But at the same time they were dragging her in and not letting her leave. They were deep and she craved to see more. Her head subconsciously began to tilt and she was interested to know what he was thinking.

A movement off to the side caught her attention and she looked at the disturbance in irritation. One of the men at his table had gotten up and was walking in their direction. Great. She looked at Rachel and Edward. They both had their backs turned but Edward seemed to be the only one who had at least an inkling that someone was walking up behind him. A glint of loathing came into his eyes and it was something that seemed to be growing with every step the man took in getting closer to the trio's table. She looked back at the table across the room and saw that the two remaining men had their attention on her table and were ogling her. One leaned over and muttered something to the other and the two started to laugh obnoxiously while staring at her. The man across the table known as Bane shook his head at their stupidity and went back to looking at what would happen when the man reached their table.

_Disgusting. Putrid. She wanted to scream. She felt their insulting gazes on her, burning holes in her flesh. She wanted to shrink away but all that happened was that her lungs compressed on her and her laced fingers painfully clenched. Despicable. She felt immense hatred building up inside her abdomen returning to her like the tide crashing in on her. She started to breathe so heavily her breath was shaky._

Rachel was oblivious as to what _exactly_ was happening. Eddie was looking at her, but it seemed he was paying attention to something else at the same time. She then heard her sister's erratic breathing and was suddenly terrified for her sister in fear she'd go into a panic attack. She turned to her sister and saw her bristling and she looked on the verge of jumping the table. She then felt a presence behind her and she realized her half of the cafeteria went quiet. It was a sick vibe that was being given off by whoever was standing behind her; it made her skin crawl.

"Hey Eddie-boy, see you made friends with new meat. How about ya share?" Rachel went rigid and was fearful of what was going to happen. She turned to see an ugly bald man with scars across his face, his brown eyes leering down at her. Edward replied in a bored tone and rolled his eyes at how stupid this man was.

"You speak as if I own them." The man gave a lewd smile that chilled Rachel to the bone and sickened Riley to the core. He looked at Rachel.

"Well, how-about-it sweet cheeks? Wanna ditch this nerd and hang out with me and my boys?" She felt nervous, not knowing what to do. She knew she didn't want to go anywhere with this man but she didn't know how to say no without making him angry. She looked to Eddie for help, but he was just glaring at the man. She hesitantly looked at her sister not knowing what she would find; she wasn't surprised. Her sister was glaring up at the man through her long brown hair, her blue eyes a stark contrast to it. She knew that if she didn't get rid of this man; Riley sure as hell would, and she'd have no qualms with intentionally pissing him off just so the son of a bitch would get sent to isolation so she wouldn't have to see him for a while. So with her new found courage to make this man go away she gave the snarkiest and most dismissive reply she could think of on the spot.

"First off, your grammar sucks…really badly. It's '**I** see you **have **made new friends with **the **new meat' and as for your third sentence, it would be '**Do you want to** ditch this nerd and hang out with **my boys and me**?' Second, no, I don't want to 'hang out' with you and your juvenile friends due to the fact that I don't want to end up stark stupid and killed in a bathroom stall somewhere and my head shoved in the toilet." The man looked down at her angrily and Eddie looked at her amused and for some odd reason proud at the same time. Probably happy she wasn't a doormat you could walk all over. Rachel felt proud of herself; she managed to stick up for herself, even if it was in the form of a mocking retort. Sadly for her…and the man; he just didn't know when to give up. He turned to Riley and Rachel held her breath._ Oh dear god, please don't._

"What about you doll face? You wanna have some fun?" Riley's breathing stopped altogether and Rachel's heart with it. She looked at the man in panic, fearing her sister would have an episode like the one that landed them here.

"You need to leave _now_. I don't care what it does to your _pride_, I don't care if this insults you. You need to turn around and go back to your table, and you and your friends don't need to look over here again!"

"What? Listen here you little bi-"

"Shhhhhhhhhh…." It seemed Riley had started breathing again during Rachel's frantic rant. It was calm quiet. And so was the entire cafeteria.

"You know it's funny to put it frankly. Edward, you're a smart guy, and you seem to be up on the times… do you know when they stopped putting dogs _down_ and started putting them in _asylums?"_ Edward looked at her in amusement.

"No…didn't know they could _talk _either…" Riley turned back to the man, eyes dead locked on him in an unflinching manner. She slowly cocked her head to the side, her demeanor chillingly calm.

"So please, sir, do yourself and I a favor, and walk away. We're not interested in anything that involves you, or anything you have to offer, please leave." Rachel was in shock…she didn't think her sister would be this calm, this collected. Sure it was harsh and straightforward. But she was in control of herself when she didn't.

"LISTEN YOU LITTLE CU-"

"Is there a problem Diego?" The voice was deep and baritone, with a smooth Hispanic accent. Nobody had noticed the giant silently creeping up on the table. Terror rushed across Diego's face and he whipped around.

"Bane! No, no there's no problem here, these bitches are just smart mouthing- and I was just teaching them their place!" Edward rolled his eyes… he'd heard incessant groveling like this before. Rachel's jaw dropped in disbelief… ok so _maybe_ she'd been a bit rude… She turned to Riley and saw her glaring holes in Diego. Bane glanced at Riley and back at Diego, staring him down.

"Funny, I distinctly recall hearing as I walked up for you to leave…isn't that right Diego?" The smaller man blanched and seemed to give up completely in under two seconds. Rachel didn't blame him.

"Right…..uh…right I'll get back to the table then….."Bane gave a nod and slowly walked back after him. Rachel felt relief flood through her at the man's departure. She glanced back and forth between Eddie and Riley. Riley's eyes hadn't left the large man until he got back to his table.

"What just happened?" Rachel piped up. Eddie looked at Riley, a smirk on his face with interest gleaming in his eyes.

"I _think_ Bane just came over and helped you out." She rolled her eyes and went back to her staring contest.


	6. Thoughts of the other

**Okay, here is chapter six; I had a little difficulty filling in pieces that are going to go in between major events, but I think I have it. I'm not sure I want Bane to have the same attitude as in TDKR, maybe SOME traits but I want to put him in character with the way I once saw him instead of the "new image" maybe eventually I could write a TDKR story but for now I'll stick with the Batman story that I already have. I'm really hoping that my characters aren't too dramatic but also aren't too flat, so I'm thinking to expand on Rachel's character a bit. But I think that may span over the course of a few chapters. I only own my two oc's, nothing else.**

Rachel sat hunched over feeling her fingers shake. Large men like that scared her. Unreasonable men scared her. Perhaps that was why she took a specific shine to Eddie. Sure he was stubborn. He was more belittling than degrading, and he couldn't quite give a useful straight answer to save his life; but these qualities were easily redeemable in her eyes. By what she had observed so far, he didn't live on impulse, he was very calculating and patient, with an observant eye. He didn't have a problem with choosing his battles and from what she could tell he at least found her amusing. Did he like her as a friend? She didn't think so; from what she could see, friends in this place aren't really made. Only acquaintances, and they were made for whatever purpose it seemed. Kind of like Bane and the men sitting at his table, though she didn't think he particularly cared for them; she didn't think he was a reliable source of protection. They were like flies and he'd swat them out of the way if necessary.

This made her ever more thankful for having her sister, it was a familiar presence; it offered protection. Mental, emotional, and physical protection, all in varying degrees. She knew her sister wasn't invincible like she had once thought as a child; her sister was human. So very, very human. And she sure as hell wasn't the strongest most physically imposing person on the planet; but she did have an incredible force of will. That was what happened when one was shattered and pulled themselves back together; the fear of being crushed is no longer existent, causing one to be damn well near unbreakable. She was dependable. Rachel wasn't kidding earlier when she had told Eddie that once you're in Riley's circle you were virtually in for good. The loyalty she displayed for those close was intense; despite her aloof attitude, Riley would risk life and limb to help someone close to her. If Rachel and Riley were ever in trouble, and there was no escape Riley would die as a distraction so Rachel could make it. It unnerved Rachel, because although she'd be fearful, she'd do the same for Riley. She didn't want her sister to sacrifice herself for her; she'd already done that enough, and Rachel was growing tired of being Riley's weakness.

She regretted being even a partial cause to the dull eyes and constant frown etched onto her sister's face. She looked at the blue eyes that were locked on to a spot on the other side of the room; observing something. Those eyes used to sparkle and shine, those lips used to stretch back and show a perfect row of teeth, and that voice used to be laced with such emotion, such childish vigor. And it was gone now. And her chest ached over the loss.

She even realized that she herself had changed; even if slightly. She did feel somber at times, and she'd hide it as best as she could. These times however were dangerous, because this is when she began remembering the abuse she had received in her youth up until recently. While she didn't get broken bones and bruises, she did get some emotional scars; and this made her vulnerable. This made her self-destructive, and it grew so bad to the point that she was in the hospital and force fed.

_Riley had been so mad._

She'd been upset rather than scared of angering her sister back then, but that was because she'd been so _different_. Not the dull, sometimes bitter shell she was now….she was too pretty to be so hateful. She tried to think of her own flaws and found herself to be too submitting, and at times too naïve….but she just couldn't damn well help it. The fear of disappointing and being labeled worthless was too great. It hurt. Terribly so.

That was why she enjoyed everything she could. Why she smiled. Why she overlooked things. Why she overlooked Eddie's flaws. Because he didn't insult her; he encouraged or praised her, he hadn't taken advantage of her so far, and he was genuinely interesting to talk to. He had acquired knowledge as well. Not just book smart, but a good portion of street smart; and she admired that because she was so naïve. True, her sister wasn't particularly street smart either, but she at least knew _people_, her night job as a bartender at the Iceberg Lounge had seen to that; enabling her to see all types of characters, hear their stories, see interactions, and even view their intentions. It dawned on her then, what her downfall would be; her naivety.

_What in the hell is she staring at?_

She followed her sister's eyes to see her making eye contact with Bane across the room. Her skin crawled. She'd rather have neither of them have anything to do with that man. She wished to tell Riley to stop the eye contact, yet she knew her sister wouldn't appreciate being told not to look at somebody…at all. She also didn't think her sister would be very pleased to know that Rachel had been watching her, for she was a very _private_ person, and _despised_ being observed. But that is all that would happen here. They were guinea pigs. Her sister is going to despise _this place_….then again that was the point; this place wasn't put here as a vacation resort. She smiled shaking her head.

"You make humorous faces when you think." She stopped and looked to Eddie, feeling embarrassed that she was being observed and picked apart. She could only mutter a response.

"Sorry. Never noticed I did it." He shrugged. It was so quiet, she felt as though something were missing. Wasn't he supposed to have friends he sat with?

"Where are those friends you mentioned earlier?"

"I didn't think it wise to introduce you to them first thing in the morning on your first day… you'll probably see them in the rec room. We'll be going after breakfast."

"And when does that end?"

"Any minute now." She nodded. She began to think of things to do, ways to learn more about Eddie. Maybe a preference game? She'd played once or twice with her sister, and she'd found she'd enjoyed it. It couldn't hurt. And all she'd have to do is wait a couple of minutes. She looked to see Riley no longer eyeing Bane, but Eddie and her…..sometimes when Riley's face was blank, she wished she could peek into her sister's head.

She looked at the clock and just as sudden, the bell rang; shrill and echoing. She grunted. She'd be deaf by the time she left this damn place.

** Okay, a bit more background, and a peek into Rachel's head and perception. Next chapter I'll probably bring in a couple of more characters, start setting the stage. The story is probably going to take a good bit to pick up, but once it does it'll be rolling **


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